Shares in Aston Martin plunged by as much as 14pc on Wednesday after the struggling luxury carmaker revealed losses almost doubled in the first three months of the year. The company said it had sunk £139m into the red during the opening quarter, as losses rose almost 90pc compared to £74m a year ago. This stemmed from a 10pc fall in overall sales to £268m, fuelled by a 63pc drop in the number of SUVs sold to customers. The sluggish performance comes after Lawrence Stroll, the carmaker’s billionaire executive chairman, hit out at the Government’s net zero ban on petrol cars. In comments made last month, Mr Stroll warned that attempts to force the sale of more electric cars were a mistake as regulations were moving faster than consumer demand. Following his company’s latest trading update, he said the figures reflected “an expected period of transition” as the company halts production of old models in preparation for a refreshed lineup this year. Aston has already delayed the launch of its first EV to at least 2026 and says it is looking at introducing more plug-ins first as a “bridge”. This year the company is preparing to ramp up production of...